Saturday, March 19, 2011

I try my best not to do much on Saturdays. If I get better at it, I won't do anything at all on Saturdays.

But first, some loose ends from the week:

First of all, thanks to Chuck Niccolls and the great admissions staff at Pyramid HealthCare, especially Ebony. I had a very complicated case, factors that seemed to change every five minutes. Thanks to the Pyramid team, a young boy is getting the treatment he needs.

Which means that I also owe a debt of gratitude to Katie Gallagher, Probation Officer Extrordinaire, for all of her help and support in resolving this case. Thank you Katie!

Next, I want to draw your attention to two new publications on the INTERVENE web site. INTERVENE is a community of concerned parents and young people, dealing with adolescent substance abuse. INTERVENE offers two guides, one for intervention and one for treatment, that will be very helpful for anyone concerned about young people and addiction. They are available here: Treatment & Intervention Guides

Last but not least, congratulations to Michelle H, for completing basic training in the USAF and going on to her first duty assignment. Congratulations to Kate M, celebrating five years, and to my dear Goddaughter Anastasia, celebrating four years!

Friday, March 18, 2011

I want to introduce the parents who read this blog to Intervene, courtesy of my friend and fellow blogger Ron Grover. If you are concerned about a child's addiction, please click on the link and check out this valuable resource.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The very thought of an intervention freaks people out. If you have seen interventions on TV, you probably have seen a lot of screaming and yelling, rabid denial, cursing and name calling, maybe even physical altercations. I watch this stuff and think, if that's the only intervention I'd ever seen, it would scare me half to death.

It looks like The Exorcist as staged by the Three Stooges.

So let me spend a couple of moments on the all too simple, and extremely important elements that go into a successful intervention:

Everyone involved in the intervention needs to meet, in person, without the person who is the subject of the intervention present.

This is very important because it allows the intervention team to learn how to work together as an effective unit. Active addiction feeds on "divide and conquer" dynamics; the intervention's success or failure depends on the team's cohesiveness.

An outcome must be decided before the intervention.

Many interventions are very powerful and easily move the subject to where they are receptive to help, only to falter because the team has no idea how to access treatment. Consult with a professional or with a friend with some experience in this area who knows how to get your loved one the appropriate help.

Know what you are dealing with.

If you don't have a basic understanding of addiction as an illness, then your intervention is going to be weak. There are many excellent books and videos available. I recommend HBO's series "Addiction", and "Love First" by Jeff and Deborah Jay. Both are filled with information about addiction and its impact on the family.

Using a professional Interventionist.

A good Interventionist acts as a coach to help the team plan and perform the intervention. He or she should be experienced, competent, and able to provide references, such as other intervention families he has worked with, on request. An Interventionist should also be fair and reasonably priced. All services that the Interventionist is going to expect payment for should be clearly spelled out before any money changes hands.

There's more to it, but that's some basics. If you have any questions you can contact me at 484 431 2931, or email me at kenwilliamscac@gmail.com, or leave a post here.

Anna is missing and her family and friends are very worried about her. Someone knows where she is. Someone may believe they are helping by keeping her whereabouts secret. If you are, please contact me so that I can let her family know that she is safe. I will protect you identity. I have a good reputation as a Drug Counselor in Delaware County, and you do that by keeping people's confidence. You can contact me by posting here, by calling or texting me at 484 431 2931, or emailing me at kenwilliamscac@gmail.com.

Ken Williams

Hello, Friend

I've been an addiction counselor for over thirty years. I'm in long-term recovery from addiction. I am a husband and father; a member of several self help fellowships.

And I have something to say. Actually, quite a lot to say.

About addiction, about treatment, about the drug laws, about Recovery as both a personal journey and a social movement.

And about Interventions. I have been doing them for over twenty-five years, and there are things I see today, that while well-intentioned, range from ineffective to outright irresponsible and dangerous.

So, if you are interested in an ongoing discussion of the topics listed above as well as any other aspect of addiction and recovery, I hope that this will be a place to engage in that discussion.